


Komorebi

by Steangine



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Multi, childhood AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-15
Updated: 2015-04-20
Packaged: 2018-03-18 01:26:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3550940
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Steangine/pseuds/Steangine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Daiki losts his ball into the groove he and Satsuki find a new friend.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. We used to be brats...

**Author's Note:**

> Komorebi is a Japanese word. It means the sunlight which filters through the trees.  
> I wanted to insert it into the fan fiction and I hope it worked.

Aomine Daiki was a crybaby.

He denied it with all his might but he cried whenever he had the slightest chance. He cried when he discovered that his mother cooked crayfish, he cried when he had lost his blue Band-Aid at school, he cried the day he couldn’t wear his favorite t-shirt because it was still wet.

He was a crybaby and he hated when Satsuki mocked him. Because, according to him, he wasn’t a crybaby.

“Stupid ugly Satsuki.”

Daiki tried to wipe off the tears with the back of his hand but as he took them away some more rolled down his cheeks. He sniffled.

“I’m not going to play with her anymore.”

He repeated that line every single time they argued and his rage always ended in the moment he forgot the reason he was crying.

Daiki stepped on the grass with rage. He had thrown the ball with too much strength and it ended up in the grove. Satsuki scolded him because he didn’t paid enough attention and then she didn’t want to follow him or else she would have ruined her dress. But Daiki knew she didn’t want just because she was scared of insects and frogs.

“I’m going to put a frog in her bed!”

He sniffled again and clenched his fists on his shorts.  
How much time passed since he entered the grove alone? He looked around but the ball was nowhere to be found. Did he completely lost it? He didn’t want it. His mother wouldn’t have bought another one and he would have been scolded.

Again he wiped off the tears but it was useless and his face was already wet and salty. He was sobbing and couldn’t stop it.

“Hey. Don’t cry anymore.”

Daiki froze and due to the shock he forgot to keep crying.

All around him there were only green trees and the low chirp of the cicadas. He was supposed to be alone but he perceived the figure of a shadow and took a step back. He was scared.

“I’ve found your ball.”

The shadow was a boy.

The summer light was gently irradiating him through the green leaves and the rays played with the shadows making him difficult to detect. He was handing a ball. Daiki’s ball. He recognized it.

“I… I’m not crying!” He shouted out and stepped towards him with vigor just to show him he wasn’t weak. “Thank you!”

Daiki took the ball back and observed him.

His eyes were as blue as the clear sky and he was like Satsuki when she had a new dress and her mother made her a different hairstyle. The word he was looking for was _pretty_ but Daiki was too little to understand that everyone, even males, could be _pretty_. So he just tasted the nice feeling and blushed up to his ears.

“You’re welcome.” His voice was calm and calming.

_ “Do you want to play with me?” _

Daiki had the words right on his tongue and the mouth already opened to speak. Then a familiar voice called him and his instinct made him turn back in anger.

“Dai-chan!”

“Don’t call me like that Satsuki!”

Daiki looked again in front of him.

“Hey! Do you wan — “

But there was nothing except for the trees. The boy had disappeared.

 

 

_“Probably you saw a phantom.”_ — His mother said in a laugh.  
_“…a phan…”  
“A ghost, Daiki.”_

He told her everything because Satsuki didn’t believe him and Daiki, being just a 7 year-old, had to feel safe knowing that someone didn’t think he was a liar. But his mother scared him and he suddenly stopped playing basketball when he and Satsuki were near the grove; he didn’t want to lose the ball in there again.

“Dai-chan, teach me how to shoot.”

“I don’t want. It’s late.”

“It’s not that late.”

“But you aren’t good at basketball so I don’t enjoy playing with you.”

That was a lie. Satsuki was pretty good for being a player with a skirt but Daiki didn’t want to mess around with her because they could have lost the ball again. Even if last time had been only Daiki’s fault.

“Yes, I am!” She sulked. “Stupid Dai-chan! I’m going to learn on my own! Lend me the ball!”

“Don’t wanna! Ugly Satsuki!”

Daiki tried to put the ball out of Satsuki’s reach but she was scratching his arms to get the ball.

“Stupid Dai-chan!”

“Ugly Satsuki!”

As Satsuki jumped to reach the ball, Daiki took a step behind and stumbled on his own feet. He fell down.

“Dai-chan!”

Daiki had hit the rear on the ground. When Satsuki kneeled in front of him she saw his eyes wet of tears.

“Ugly… Satsuki…”

“Dai-chan, geez. Don’t be such a crybaby.”

“I’m… not a…” He sniffled and tried to hold back the urge of crying. “My ball…”

“It went into the grove.”

“Eh?” Daiki froze and his tears with him. “Now you go and get it back!”

“No way.” Satsuki stood up. “It’s late and I must go back home.”

“It wasn’t late before!”

“Now it is. Mom doesn’t want me to go into the groove.”

“It’s your fault!”

“But it’s your ball! And you are a man.”

“I’m not a man, I’m still a boy!”

“I won’t go.”

“You are just scared of the frogs!”

“I’m not!”

“At least come with me!”

“Alright, alright. Let’ go tomorrow morning. But don’t cry, geez.”

“Someone will steal my ball! And I’m not crying!”

“Dai-chan don’t be stupid. Nobody will steal your ugly ball.”

“You are ugly, not the ball!”

Daiki whined as much as he could but Satsuki went home after the promise of meeting early the following morning.

She was sure that Daiki would have overslept as always. However, when she arrived at the playground, Daiki was already there with a small net held as it was a spare and a glare in his eyes.

“You are late, Satsuki!”

“What?”

That day something strange would have surely happened because Aomine Daiki woke up before 9 am.

“I thought you would have overslept…” she admitted.

“Satsuki! We must get my ball back!” He wielded the net.

“What’s that for?”

“That’s for the phan… phan…. ghost.”

Satsuki didn’t know if Daiki was just trying to scare her or he was serious and in doubt she stayed silent.

“Let’s go!”

They entered the grove and after few meters Daiki was trembling with Satsuki clinging at his t-shirt. She wasn’t scared of the ghost, she just didn’t like insects and they were in that grove when Daiki put a frog on her hair some days before.

A croak from a bush made her startle.

“Daiki-kun, I’m getting you a new ball!”

“You don’t have money, Satsuki.”

“Mom has! Please, let’s go back!”

She hugged Aomine from behind and shrieked in fear as the frog, wherever it was, croaked again.

“Satsuki. We are almost there.”

“You don’t even know where the ball went!”

Everything was the same green and brown lighted by the blurred sun. Satsuki was almost crying and this made Daiki feeling the same urge.

“But…”

“Excuse me.”

The voice popped out together with another croak.

Satsuki screamed and almost chocked Daiki to hid behind him. Daiki screamed and clumsily wielded the net.

“…I didn’t want to scare you.”

“You are the ghost!”

It was the boy from the other day. The shadows of the moving leaves were flickering on him giving to his blank stare a darker appearance. He was just behind a ray of light and Daiki thought it was because he would have disappeared under the strong sun.

“I’m Kuroko Tetsuya, nice to meet you.” He said in a calm voice. “I’m not a ghost. Sorry.”

“Dai-chan!”

Satsuki pointed at him and Daiki noticed the boy had _his_ ball.

“That’s mine!”

Tetsuya nodded.

“I found it yesterday and took it home so no one would have stolen it. I was looking for you to give it back.”

And he handed the ball out towards Daiki.

Daiki was still suspicious and found the courage to protect Satsuki  — who was still more scared of the frog.

He took a step forward.

“Please, stop!”

Tetsuya raised his voice and Daiki retreated.

“What?”

“The frog.”

Satsuki squeaked.

“What frog?”

“The one in front of you. You were almost pounding on it.”

Daiki looked at the ground while feeling Satsuki’s fingers squeezing his t-shirt. Among the green grass there was a more green little breathing spot. That frog was so little it was incredible how it could croak so loudly. And how Tetsuya was able to detect it.

“We should bring it to the pond.”

“Yes. We should.” Daiki agreed even if he clearly heard the scared _No_ from Satsuki. “Satsuki, if you don’t let me go I can’t catch it.”

Daiki was good in two things: playing basketball and catching animals, especially insects. So it didn’t took much to catch that frog; even if the first time it escaped his grip and Satsuki hid behind a tree. She remained there until Daiki came back and showed his empty hands at her glare.

“I didn’t hide the frog.”

He understood from her look she didn’t believe him.

“Don’t worry. We freed the frog.”

Tetsuya reassured her and Satsuki felt relieved because he wasn’t like Daiki. She was sure Tetsuya wouldn’t have put a frog or whatever dirty animal on her hair like Daiki did.

“…okay.” She came out from the hideout. “Thank you very much. My name is Momoi Satsuki, nice to meet you!” Her smile was bright.

“Nice to meet you, Satsuki-san.”

He was cute and knew his manners. The complete opposite of Daiki and she was fascinated: even in her class there weren’t such gentle boys.

“Dai-chan, introduce yourself.”

Daiki looked at Tetsuya. “I’m Aomine Daiki. Do you want to play basketball with me?”

“I don’t know how to play.”

“It doesn’t matter. I’ll teach you!”

He didn’t even wait for a reply. He simply took Tetsuya’s hand and run towards the playground as Satsuki followed them.

 

 

For Daiki it was Tetsu, for Satsuki it was Tetsu-kun.

Tetsuya was their precious new friends and the main reason Daiki and Satsuki’s bond of friendship strengthened. Both wanted to stay with Tetsuya and both liked him.  
They hardly ever agreed on something and it was mesmerizing how whenever it came to Tetsuya their thoughts became one before they could even speech.

Tetsuya was happy because he had found some friends.  
He liked Satsuki, he liked to draw with her or let her putting flowers on his hair.  
He liked Daiki, he liked despite their behaviors and ideas being so different. He liked to play basketball with him and catching animals together.

Sometimes Tetsuya brought with him a book filled with different stories. There were no images and both Daiki and Satsuki wondered how he could read something like that. But their wonders faded into the dim light of the grove and they listened to Tetsuya reading fairy tales about knights, dragons and princesses.  
Whenever they didn’t understand a word he kindly explained them and when the story ended they played.  
They imagined the grove was the dark forest, the playground was the magnificent castle and the pond was the home of the magician. Satsuki never wanted to be the princess if Tetsuya wasn’t the prince and she argued with Daiki about who should have played the prince when Tetsuya was the princess.

Tetsuya was their precious treasure.

“When I grow up I’ll marry Tetsu-kun.”

Satsuki confessed to Daiki one evening his family went to visit hers.

“Don’t be silly Satsuki, I’ll marry Tetsu.”

“You can’t, Dai-chan. You are a male.”

“It doesn’t matter. I like Tetsu so I’ll marry him.” Daiki sulked. “But… whoever he may decide to marry, he should never be sad.”

“I would never make Tetsu-kun sad!”

“Me neither!”

“So we will never make Tetsu-kun sad. Let’s make a promise, Dai-chan.”

“Of course we won’t!”

Their pinkies intertwined.

 

_ “Tetsu-kun, who will you marry? Me or Dai-chan?” _

_ “Ugly Satsuki. That should have been a secret!!!” _

_ “…can’t I stay with both of you?” _


	2. ...and we kept being...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The bond of friendship among Daiki, Satsuki and Tetsuya becomes stronger and stronger. But their happiness is suddenly obscured by an unwanted news.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry if there are any grammar mistakes. Since the story was different in my mind when I wrote the first part I'm afraid this chapter doesn't make much sense. I hope you'll enjoy it.

Daiki and Satsuki were the light.

That thought hadn't a proper form into Tetsuya's mind but it unconsciously reflected into his drawings: in each of them Daiki and Satsuki always irradiated the light as if they were the sun and Tetsuya was there only to admire their bright colors but he wasn't shining.  
Tetsuya was 7 years old, too young to understand his mixed feelings of happiness and sadness but sharp enough to wonder why such wonderful children showed interest in him. Tetsuya knew he was boring, dull and clumsy. However Daiki and Satsuki never held back when they felt the need to show their affection towards him and this made Tetsuya feel so lucky he was afraid to burst from joy.

"Here."

The black cat had curled on the desk when Tetsuya had started drawing and moved again just when the boy put down the clear blue pencil.  
Two people, with dark blue and pink hair, stood in the middle of a lot of green scribbles wearing white clothes. Another one, smaller with clear blue hair, was in the exact middle holding the hands of the other two; his clothes were slightly darker.

Tetsuya observed the drawing once more before hiding it into the desk's drawer. In that exact moment the sound of a little object hitting the window made the cat jump on all her fours.

"Tetsuuu~!"

He recognized Daiki's voice and smiled.

The first time Daiki called him by throwing pebbles on the window he risked to be hit by Tetsuya's grandma. According to her punks had to be punished and it took her some weeks to go over that accident and accept the friendship _that brat_ had with his dear grandson.  
With time Tetsuya stopped opening the window to say he was coming but just rushed down the stairs to put on his shoes as fast as he could.

Outside there was a blue cloudy sky which couldn't prevent the sun from shining. Yet it wasn't still hot enough to go out without at least a jacket. Daiki had even a huge scarf. And he was alone.

"Did you argue with Satsuki-san?"

He didn't add the _again_ , even if he was close to. It wasn't rare that Daiki and Satsuki had quarrels and almost every time they didn’t want to stay close to each other. Tetsuya thought Daiki went to his home without calling Satsuki as he always did.

"No, I didn't." Daiki looked more sad than pissed off. "She is ill." He sulked. "Ugly Satsuki, she stayed all day long with the jacket open just to show around her new blouse."

Tetsuya understood he wasn’t angry but worried and took his hand. Daiki startled.

"We can go and meet her together."

"No, we can't. The doctor said that we don't have to go near her for the next three days. Stupid doctor."

"I don't think the doctor is stupid. If we go near her we could catch the disease and then we probably should take a medicine."

Daiki blinked twice and then made a disgusted face.

"I don't want to. Medicines taste bad."

"Yes."

Tetsuya frowned sadly and lowered his eyes.

"What's wrong, Tetsu? Are you ill too?"

The possibility made Daiki shiver. He didn't think about the chance of catching the disease from him -and consequently having to drink a medicine- but all he could care about was Tetsuya who didn't seem to feel well. He felt like he wanted to cry.

"No. I don't think so.” That managed to stop Daiki’s tears before they rolled down his cheeks. “But probably Satsuki feels sad now."

"Yeah. The medicine."

"No. I probably would feel alone if I couldn't see you for some days."

Daiki hadn't realized it before and he didn't know if he felt bad for Satsuki or for Tetsuya's sad expression. Maybe for both.

"...her mother told me she wanted to listen to one of your stories." Daiki glanced at the ball in his hands. "But we can't go near her..."

As he looked back, Tetsuya was gone.

"T-Tetsu!"

When they first met Tetsu said he wasn't a phantom but there were times Daiki wasn't so sure if he had to trust him. He could disappear and appear again from nowhere whenever he or Satsuki didn't pay enough attention.

"Daiki-kun."

"Gwah!"

Tetsuya popped out in front of him with a huge book. The cover was colorful with lots of different characters coming out from a star shaped trunk.

"I haven't read this with you yet. Granny tells me these stories before I go to bed."

"Oh..." Daiki didn't grasp Tetsuya's plan.

"We can't go near Satsuki-san but her mother can. She'll read these for her."

Slowly a huge smile enlightened Daiki's face.

As they arrived at Satsuki's home they suddenly went away. Despite what Daiki said, he tried again to ask Satsuki’s mother if they could at least greet her from the door but she was firm when she told them to go and play instead of wasting their time.

"Don't worry Tetsu. She promised she will read Satsuki the stories."

Daiki repeated that sentence at least five times before they reached the park. Those words became a sort of spell for him: the more he pronounced them the more they gave him the impression that it would have happened for real.

"Daiki-kun, where are you going?"

They usually stopped at the basketball court first but that day Daiki went straight to the clearing. Maybe because Satsuki wasn’t there he wanted to look for some insects without her hysterical whims. Tetsuya remembered that Daiki complained about that habit of her and he always stated he needed tranquility to catch insects and frogs.

Daiki walked over the clearing and Tetsuya kept toddling behind him.

"Tetsu, we know each other for almost a year now." Daiki turned his face. His expression was so serious that Tetsuya worried.

"Is there–"

"That's why." Daiki interrupted him. "Since we are alone, it's time I show you my dearest treasure! I know I can trust you completely!"

"Does Satsuki-san know?"

"No way! It's a boys' secret!"

Tetsuya still couldn't understand why Daiki was looking around with such a sharp look. It seemed like he was checking they were alone.

When Daiki approached a tangle of roots near a tree Tetsuya remembered what Satsuki told him once.

__

_ "Dai-chan has his secret place and he thinks I don't know it. It's a huge hole under the roots of a tree." _

 

The roots were extending from the soil and arched on themselves creating the appearance of a tiny cave made of wood.

"Tetsu. This way."

Daiki had lowered his voice. Tetsuya kneeled near him.

It was difficult entering into that "secret place" in two at the same time. Tetsuya was pressed against Daiki on the right and on the left he felt the bark of the tree scratching his jacket. Probably his mother would have scolded him. Since when he met Daiki and Satsuki he came back home at least once a week with his clothes so dirty that she picked him up in the front door and brought him directly into the bathtub.

"This looks like the White Rabbit's hole."

"What's that?"

Daiki gave him a distracted reply while rustling with something in the dark.

"The White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland."

The darkness were so deep that Tetsuya would have been scared they could suck him into if Daiki wasn't with him. His physical presence gave him relief.

"Ah!" Daiki chuckled. "Found it!"

A soft light made Tetsuya shut his eyes. When he opened them again he realized his face was so near to Daiki that he couldn't completely see him, just a part of the head. He retracted and his heart beat faster for the scare.

“I was afraid the torch was gone.”

Daiki enlightened the little cave and Tetsuya was let down: one part of him expected that the whole place was the treasure and maybe there truly was a deep hole connecting it with another world. But it was just a wall of roots enclosing them and a plastic bag locked with a tong.

"What's that?"

"My treasure."

Daiki's voice trembled.  
He was excited as that was the first time he showed somebody that thing he was hiding since the last summer.

"But..." His expression tensed. "This must be our secret."

Tetsuya nodded. He looked intensely at Daiki's hands moving to untie the bag.  
The tension had flowed in him so rapidly that when Tetsuya, between the shadows and the tiny light from the little torch, recognized the shape of a magazine he didn't hide his disappointment. He curled his lips and nose.

"Daiki-kun, that's a magazine."

"Tetsu, that's not a normal magazine!" Daiki was shocked because he didn't grasp immediately the importance of his treasure. "Look!"

Daiki pointed the torch at the cover. A beautiful woman wearing a tiny bikini was bended – _"Towards us"_ thought Tetsuya exchanging the look the woman was giving to them.

"What do you think?"

The light wasn't strong enough to show clearly his face but Tetsuya recognized Daiki’s huge smile.

"Where did you take this?"

"Tetsu!" He screamed in disappointment. "What do you think about this woman? Isn't she beautiful?"

"Yes, she is pretty. I guess..."

"She has big boobs. Girls with big boobs are the best, aren’t they?"

Daiki’s eyes were shining as he spoke.

"But Satsuki-san hasn't big boobs."

"Satsuki doesn't count."

Tetsuya though Satsuki was beautiful and probably Daiki thought so too. But Tetsuya wasn't as proud as him when it came to showing affection.

"But what do you do with this?"

Daiki looked back. "Heh... I admire the pictures."

"And then?"

"...then nothing. What should I do?"

"It doesn't make much sense."

"Probably… but adults do it. Well, dad does. I took this from his closet."

"Adults make a lot of strange things. Sometimes at night I hear dad and mom doing something into their room."

"Something what?"

"Hum, I can't tell..." Tetsuya leaned his chin on his crossed arms. "You know, they... breath. They breath heavily. A lot."

He didn't even exactly know what he was explaining so he didn’t know how exposing it.

"Ah! I heard dad and mom too! They breath at night!"

"Really?"

"Even Satsuki's parents do it. It must be one of that _children can't do_ thing."

"I wonder what's that..."

Tetsuya took a lazy glance to the magazine. He wasn't really interested but that was Daiki's treasure so he respected that bunch of old and ruined sheets of papers.

He sneezed.

"Oi, Tetsu." Daiki put the magazine away. "Let's get out from here."

As it had been difficult getting in they had difficulties getting out too. When Daiki tried he noticed his jacket's zip was entangled in Tetsuya's so they had to move together and when they managed to escape from that cave they were both covered in soil and dust.

"My mom will scold me."

"Mine surely will."

Both smiled.

"Ah, Tetsu. This is a secret place and the treasure is secret too. So don't tell anyone! Neither Satsuki!" Daiki raised his pinkie. "Promise!"

Tetsuya nodded. "Yes." He intertwined his pinkie. "I promise."

 

 

One week later Tetsuya became sick and the world collapsed.

Daiki put the blame on Satsuki because she had been sick so, according to him, she was the one who passed the illness to Tetsu. Satsuki put the blame on Daiki because he was the one who brought Tetsu-kun around even if it was still cold. And since Daiki caught the flu too she was flown of being right.

"Satsuki-san."

Tetsuya showed a tired smile but he was alright: the fever was gone and even the cold was almost over. Yet he was tired because of the medicines.

"Tetsu-kun!" Satsuki cheeped and held back the desire to hug him. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, now I'm feeling better."

"I'm glad."

She took a book from her bag.

"This is the book you brought me. Thank you, I enjoyed it!"

"Did you read everything?"

"Yes. I did. My mother had read me the first ones but when I felt better I read on my own."

She was happy. Satsuki was enjoying that moment she could spend alone with Tetsuya, who was so gentle to think about her even when he was the one sick.

"You look tired."

"I'm just bored of staying in bed." Tetsuya sighed. "Since when is Daiki sick?"

"Since yesterday."

Satsuki was careful enough to keep quiet from Tetsuya that Daiki had been crying since he learnt he couldn’t have seen Tetsuya and her for some days.

"Then maybe you should bring the book to him."

"Eh?"

"This way he'll feel less alone. I have others to read."

"Y-yes, you are right!" Satsuki nodded. "But your grandmother read these to you. Daiki told me."

"She recalls all the stories. Don't worry."

If there was a way to like Tetsuya more, Satsuki experienced it while looking at him leaning on the pillow with a tired half-smile.

"Satsuki-san."

"Yes?"

"Before you go... would you like to read me the story you liked the most?"

Satsuki almost dropped the book but she managed to save it in time.

"Of course!" His voice sounded a bit too high pitched and she flushed. "I'll read it right now!"

She stiffened on the chair. Her fingers were like sticks and she couldn't move them properly; it became difficult to turn the pages. She was alone in the room with Tetsu-kun and he had asked her to read a story: that was the only thought which dominated her mind and was driving her towards overjoy.

"Alright." She cleared her throat to find some strength. "I-I'm starting."

"Thank you."

Satsuki's voice was clear and nice. She started reading every line with the same tone but as she got involved into the plot she changed her voice depending on the event or on the character speaking. If Tetsuya’s way of reading was calm and reassuring, hers was full of energy.

"...and they lived happily ever after."

Satsuki took a deep breath. She felt warm on the face for the effort of reading and meanwhile keeping her composure without wandering in her daydreams about Tetsuya – they had been happening frequently in the last weeks.

"Tetsu-ku–" She looked at him. "Oh."

Tetsuya was sleeping. Everything in him gave the impression he was having a relaxed sleep: his right arm was quietly leaning on his stomach, his head slightly bended towards his shoulder and his tiny smile made him look prettier than ever.

Satsuki closed the book and got closer.

She didn't know how long she stared at him before she became aware of her doing and blushed.  
Maybe she had to call his mother or grandmother. Someone. And then she would have come back home.

"Goodnight, Tetsu-kun."

Satsuki took two steps back and then three forward: she put her lips on Kuroko's forehead and then run out from the room holding the book in her arms tightly.

 

 

The spring arrived and it brought the petals of the cherry trees.  
They had the color of Satsuki and the sky was Tetsu. Daiki didn't know why he made that comparison but in his head it fitted really well.

"Guys, what are you drawing?"

The shadows and lights dancing together on the ground were more beautiful when the sun filtered through the cherry flowers than through other trees. Maybe the sun too liked to draw.  
Tetsuya smiled as the warm wind blew quietly and changed the sun's shades once again.

"I'm drawing a castle on the sky."

The petals on the white paper were so pretty.  
Satsuki didn't feel the need to use the pink because the trees were already giving her all the color she needed. She added two shades of blue, darker and clearer, and sighed because she hadn't anything with her to fix the petals on her paper.

"I'm drawing the sea!"

Tetsuya raised his head. "What are you drawing, Daiki-kun?"

"Myself dunking."

"Dai-chan, you are too short to dunk like an adult."

"I'm sure I'll manage to dunk soon!" Daiki stuck out his tongue. "Tetsu who are them?"

Three people were standing on the castle but some details, like the hair and the eyes, were missing.

"It's us. We need to enter the castle to rescue the King and the Queen." He explained. "Since Daiki-kun is strong and fast he is the knight. Satsuki-san is clever and she always knows what to do so she is the archer. And..."

Tetsuya hesitated. He didn't know who he could have been. Probably the squire because next to them he wasn't special enough to have an important role.

"Tetsu should be the magician."

Daiki and Satsuki moved next to him. Tetsuya looked at his left towards Daiki.

"Why a magician?"

"Because you look like one Tetsu-kun."

He glanced at his right and Satsuki smiled at him.

"That's right Tetsu. Magicians are a lot like you."

“Like me?”

“Yes. You read a lot and you have all those books like the magicians.”

“Stupid Dai-chan. That’s not the only reason! Tetsu-kun is mysterious and magicians are mysterious.”

Tetsuya wasn’t sure if he was flattered or bewildered. Daiki and Satsuki didn’t seem to have a clear idea on the reason they connected him to the figure of a magician.

“So… I’m a magician.”

"Yes!"

“But for real do I resemble one?”

Daiki snorted as he run out of patience.

"Here."

He took a pencil and started to color the character in the middle. Cyan hair, cyan eyes, a long black dress, a blue coat and a long stick in his hand.

"This is you."

"But why black, Dai-chan?"

"Because black magic is cooler."

"But white magic is good."

Tetsuya didn't mind if he was a black, white or another color magician. He was happy because Daiki and Satsuki considered him better than he considered himself. It was strange and pleasant.

"Then he'll be both a white and black magician!" Daiki decided. "Is it okay for you Tetsu?"

"Yes. I guess so."

"Do you want to be the knight, Tetsu-kun?"

"No, the magician is fine. I like it."

"Tetsu, your face is all reddish."

Tetsuya pressed both his hands on his cheeks: they were warmer than usual.  
Satsuki gave him a deep look. She grasped, beyond his quiet expression, the sight of his embarrassment.

"Are you embarrassed Tetsu?"

The red rushed over Tetsuya’s face.

"Ah, your ears become red when you are embarrassed. How strange!"

Daiki laughed happily and Satsuki was torn between scolding his friend or just staring while Tetsuya curled up to escape the unease feeling which was making him burn from the embarrassment.

"Stupid Dai-chan!"

Satsuki slapped Daiki’s back and it took them almost a good half hour and the promise of an ice cream to get Tetsuya back from his cocoon of distress.

 

 

"Tetsu! Tetsu hurry up! Look what we've got for you!"

Daiki and Satsuki were holding a huge white blanket. The more Tetsuya got closer the more their smiles widened.

"Now we can finally play! I have this little arch and Dai-chan found–"

Satsuki's word froze into her throat. Daiki didn’t notice something was wrong until Tetsuya stopped right in front of them. He was calm but a shadow of sadness made him look like he was on the verge of the tears; his eyes were shining under the light of the sun, but he struggled to hold the tears back. 

Daiki and Satsuki let the blanket fell down and run towards him while their voices melted in calling out loud his name. A cacophony of "What's wrong?" "What happened?" "Why are you so sad?" clashed making their voices a blurred melting of sounds. However Tetsuya didn't need to understand. He grasped more or less what they need to understand; he expected that reaction since when he had left home.

Tetsuya stroked his face with the sleeve of the jacket and discovered that he couldn't bear Daiki and Satsuki's looks. He felt so guilty and didn’t find the strength to raise his eyes while talking.

"...in two weeks I'm going to move with my family."

 

_ “I wonder why in the end the Magician never goes back with his friends.”  
“I don’t know… do you know it, Tetsu?”  
“I don’t… but it’s sad.” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will surely be the last one. I hope you liked the story until now.


	3. ...until the end.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ending and a new beginning

Daiki had disappeared.

When Satsuki and Tetsuya reached together his home to call him, he had already left without saying a word.

"Probably he doesn't want to talk with me anymore."

"It's not your fault Tetsu-kun. He is just a big crybaby."

Yet Satsuki didn't reveal to anyone that the previous evening she cried too. Only her mother, who comforted her, saw how she curled in her bed and wept until the weariness and the sleep took over her.  
In the morning, before going to school, her mother listened to her carefully and the words she told her didn’t leave Satsuki’s mind for all day long.

_ "If it's just the distance then there's no big problem. You can keep in contact and I'm sure you'll be able to meet again sooner or later. Instead of crying you should enjoy every bit you can with Tetsuya." _

Satsuki cried again. She cried every time she went to the bathroom, when the teachers and her classmates weren't looking at her and when she was sitting in the rear car while coming back home. She also cried while walking towards Tetsuya's house but right before ringing the bell she rubbed her eyes with the sleeves and smiled.

"I wanted to play with him..."

Tetsuya looked at the ground. His eyes were red too but his voice didn't shake as much as Satsuki's did.

"We just have to look around better." She hurried to make him feel better. "We should split up so we’ll find him faster!"

She cursed Daiki in her mind because he was wasting the remaining time they had with Tetsuya. So she run into the grove with such anger that Tetsuya was caught by surprise and he was left behind.

He took the opposite direction and went straightforward towards the secret place. He had been there before with Satsuki but Daiki was nowhere. Probably he hid far away from the places where they used to play.

Even if Satsuki was aware of the secret place, Tetsuya didn't break the promise he made with Daiki and just took a fast glance before passing over.  
This time he approached the roots' cave and kneeled to take a look: it was dark and scary. He retreated and a bunch of leaves fell on his head.

He raised the head. The sun was there, weak through the branches. And among the leaves there was a shadow.

"Daiki-kun."

The shadow rustled and disappeared behind the trunk. Tetsuya followed his path.

"Daiki-kun! Me and Satsuki were worried."

"Go away Tetsu!"

Daiki shut out with his voice blurred with tears.

"Please, get down."

"No! You'll go away then it's useless!"

Daiki climbed one branch up to put more distance between them.

Tetsuya had never climbed a tree.  
He looked at the green giant in front of him and his rational side told him he should have started with something easier. But Daiki was on that tree and Tetsuya wanted to reach him.

He climbed on the roots and leaned on the trunk. First a hand and then a foot.  
The bark was harsh and he was afraid of getting hurt while climbing on the first branch. That was the closest and it was quite easy for him to get there. However Tetsuya, while swinging his feet in the air, felt like he did something incredible and looked at the ground like he had never did before: it seemed so far away. He hung the balance as he stood up to reach the next branch over his head.

Daiki observed him.

"You'll get hurt. Go away!"

Maybe Tetsu could have managed to reach him. While hiding up there, Daiki didn't considered the fact that Tetsu could have.

Tetsuya had difficulties to lift himself on the second branch. He was hung with his arms and was trying to get on using the right leg.

For a moment Daiki saw Tetsu getting one step closer to him.  
Then the foot slipped and Tetsuya lost the grip.

It was like he floated in the air until the harsh sound of his falling echoed in the grove. The shock suffocated Daiki’s tears.

"Tetsu!"

Daiki got down recklessly. His eyes were looking only at Tetsuya lying still below him and as he got down from the last branch his knees scratched against the tree.

"Tetsu!" He threw himself beside him and fell on all fours. “Tetsu! Tetsu!”

For how his voice was loud, Tetsuya didn’t move. Daiki put his hands on the hair and his eyes burned with tears.

“Help me! Help me!"

He wanted someone to appear in that exact moment telling him that Tetsuya would have been okay but he looked around and his fear increased as he saw no one. His sobs increased.

“Tetsu wake up!” He scrolled him with strength. “Tetsu! Stupid wake up!”

Tetsuya mumbled and Daiki saw him startling. Then he understood it wasn’t just a simple reaction to his thrust: Tetsu’s body was trembling. Daiki smiled with difficulty while the urge to keep crying was stiffening his face.  
He sniffled. With a great effort he held back his tears but couldn’t do much for his blear voice.

"Tetsu, where are you hurt? I'm calling mom!"

"...don't want..."

Tetsuya’s voice was a mutter but Daiki understood.

"Why not?!"

"... I don't want... to go..."

"But you are hurt!"

"...don't want..."

Tetsuya turned his head. His face was dirty of soil and tears.

"...I don't want to leave you... and Satsuki... and... and..."

The hiccups broke his voice. Tetsuya didn’t even try to sit down and curled on himself biting his lower lips.

"I don't want to go! I don't want! I don't want to anger you! I don't want to go!"

Tetsuya wasn't controlling anymore his weep. He shout out all his sadness and Daiki couldn’t do anything except looking at him in astonishment. It was so pitiful and sad he didn't know how to react.

"T-Tetsu. Tetsu there's... Tetsu I don't hate you. Tetsu, please, stop crying. Stop... crying..."

Daiki covered his eyes with the right arm.

"Don't cry, Tetsu."

His drowsy voice couldn't go over Tetsuya's whining. Why wasn’t he stopping? He didn’t hate him so why was he crying like that? Maybe he was hurt somewhere.

“Tetsu, let’s go home. You are hurt.”

But Tetsuya didn’t show any sign he listened to his plea.

"Sorry. I'm sorry, don't cry…"

With a strong hug around his waist, Daiki pulled Tetsuya near him.

"I'm sorry! Don't cry! Don't cry!"

Tetsuya hid his face into Daiki's shoulder.

"I don't want to go away! I don't want, Daiki-kun, trust me!"

"I know! Stupid Tetsu!"

Tetsuya closed his eyes and clung on him. “It hurts… the hands and the legs hurt…”

“Stupid! You can’t climb trees!”

“But…” Tetsuya coughed. “You weren’t coming down…” He coughed again.

Daiki felt guilty. It was all his fault. It was his fault if Tetsuya got hurt and if he was crying.

“Tetsu-kun!”

Satsuki had been attracted by their whines. As she arrived she stayed there looking at the two boys on the ground crying in each other arms.

"You… Dai-chan! We promised we would have never made Tetsu-kun sad! And now he is crying!" She shouted out with her fists clenched.

"Ugly Satsuki! Shut up! You are crying too!"

“I’m not!”

Yet her words trembled as Tetsuya whined once more.

“I don’t want to go.”

 

 

"I think it's deep enough now."

"Are you sure, Tetsu?"

"Quite."

"Quite sure or sure?"

"Quite.”

“Hey Tetsu! You—“

"Alright! We can start!"

Satsuki prevented Daiki from speaking again and bounced forward. She was holding a box in her hands.

"I think too the hole is deep enough."

"Oi Satsuki, have you checked if the box is well sealed?"

"Of course it is!"

“Let me see.”

“No way!” Satsuki retreated and put the box behind her back. “I’m sure it’s sealed.”

“I just want to look at it!”

“Guys.” Tetsuya waded into their usual start of a quarrel. “We should be fast or adults will come and look for us.”

That reason was enough for Daiki and Satsuki to put aside their argument.

"Tetsu-kun should do it."

Satsuki lent the box towards him.

"But..."

"Satsuki is right."

“I think that—“

“Come on Tetsu! We don’t have much time!”

When they fought it was difficult to reconcile them but when they agreed on something it was impossible to go against them.

"Alright."

Tetsuya took the box  — it was heavier than he thought — and placed it carefully into the exact middle of the hole.

"Will it resist?"

Daiki asked with a little reluctance while observing the box.

"Of course."

This time Tetsuya had no doubts.

"Then let's cover it!"

They didn't took the small shovel they used to dig the hole but took each an handful of soil and threw it to cover the box. The first was Tetsuya, then Satsuki and for last Daiki. Tetsuya, Satsuki, Daiki. The circle repeated until the hole was filled again.

The huge tree was now shielding their treasure under the lights and the shadows of the grove.  
They stared at in silence, hand in hand.

"Now I have to go."

Tetsuya broke the rustling sound of the leaves.

"...yes."

Daiki and Satsuki didn't let go of his hands even when they reached the house where Tetsuya would have never lived anymore.

"Remember to write Tetsu."

"Dai-chan, you haven't already lost the new address, have you?"

"Of course I haven't! I'm not stupid!"

"I'll write you every day."

Tetsuya reassured them as his mother called once  — _ "Tetsuya, hurry!" _ — he hugged them as his father looked for him  — _ "Tetsuya, get on the car." _ — he didn't want to let them go as his grandmother reached him  — _ "Dear dear, Tecchan, your hands are all dirty with soil again." _ —

" I'll ask mom if I can come and see you."

Tokyo was a huge city but in their eyes of children nothing could have been bigger than the place they used to play together. In their minds the idea of being able to catch up wasn't so strange.

"Tetsu-kun we'll send you tons of letters."

"And we'll call you. Write us your phone number."

"Sure!"

They were still talking when Tetsuya let his grandmother guide him into the car.

"Tetsuya, the seat belt."

He didn't listen to his father and looked through the window.

"I'll come back!"

"Tetsu, don't cry!"

Daiki's eyes were shining with tears.

"Tetsu-kun, come back okay?"

Satsuki too was crying.

Then the car left. It suddenly accelerated and it became too fast for Daiki and Satsuki to catch up. Satsuki stopped first, Daiki tried to keep the pace but gave up after the first crossroad.

Tetsuya kept looking behind until their figures disappeared behind a corner.

The gentle hand of his grandmother and the sweet purr of the cat weren't enough to stop his silent tears.

 

 

 

Teikou Middle School's uniform was too clear and when Daiki saw it for the first time he was sure he would have dirtied it in some way now or then. Satsuki thought the same even if they didn't talk about it even once.

Then Daiki saw it on Tetsuya and thought that it truly suited him. Satsuki thought the same.

That day the sky was so blue it seemed that some child colored it with a pastel. Tetsuya smiled at them and all the composure Daiki and Satsuki thought they would have maintained collapsed into a hug which almost made their friend falling down.

Daiki didn't cry but he was close to.

"It's still here."

"Did you have any doubt, Daiki-kun?"

It was always a pleasure hearing Tetsuya's voice calling him. With time it became more profound and a lot calmer but Daiki and Satsuki could recall that something which belonged to Tetsuya and made his voice special to them.

"Not really..."

The grove changed a lot since the last time they played there together. Daiki and Satsuki kept going there but without Tetsuya everything was different: emptier and more silent.  
Yet the tree was still there with his bended roots looking like a small cave and his leaves creating shadows on the ground.

"Let's open it!"

Satsuki proposed with so much enthusiasm that her feeling handed down to the other two.

Daiki jumped in the hole.

"Hey, come here."

"But..."

"Satsuki-san."

It was strange how through years Satsuki still had the habit to blush when Tetsuya smiled to her.

"Since you have the skirt it must be difficult for you to get there." He lent her a hand. "Hold into me."

Satsuki took its hand and slid alongside him.

"Uh. Usually you aren't so fem — argh!"

Satsuki pretended to stumble and stomped on Daiki's right feet.

"Satsuki! Oi!"

“My foot slipped.”

“You liar!”

“I wonder… “ Both stopped to listen to Tetsuya. “…if everything is still alright.”

The box was dirty and cold. Even if it was almost 5 years since they enclosed their treasure, they remembered clearly everything they put inside.  
The fear that the content could be ruined faded away as they had to use a stone to unlock the stuck lid.

"Dai-chan, you'll break it."

"That's what I'm trying to do it."

"But not like that."

When the lid fell on the ground they all felt a shiver running down their spines. Each wondered if the others remembered well as they did; then they exchanged a look before sinking in those memories and had no doubts nobody had ever forgotten.

"Look!" Satsuki was delighted. "That's my favorite ribbon!"

"Ah. My first gravure magazine!"

Daiki turned the pages carefully and peeked at Tetsuya. He smiled back.

"The colors we used." Tetsuya took out a green pencil. "I didn’t remember we used them that much. It would be difficult to use them now." It was as short as his index.

There were a plastic frog —Satsuki startled—, a little crown of dry flowers and a bookmark. At the bottom there was a folded piece of paper.

"What's this?"

Tetsuya opened it carefully. His eyes widened.

As he lifted his head he saw Daiki and Satsuki's quivering smiles.

"You didn't put yours..."

"That was meant to be treasured."

He didn't understand Satsuki.

"Why?"

"Because..."

Satsuki looked at Daiki. Satsuki looked back.

"Well, because..."

Both looked embarrassed at whatever they were going to say. Tetsuya doubted for a moment they would have spoken when Daiki sighed with resignation and started.

"You know, magician are the ones who are always alone." He massaged his head and fixed his eyes on the nearer tree to avoid Tetsuya’s look. "This way he wouldn't have gone away."

"It worked somehow, didn’t it?" Satsuki smiled.

Tetsuya looked at the drawing.  
Daiki was the knight, Satsuki the Archer and he was the Magician. They were together and happy.

“Yes… it did.” He smiled. "What should we do with the box?"

"Who knows.” Daiki shrugged. “Isn’t it fine to take back these things?”

Tetsuya raised his head "Why..." His face was serious. "...don't we bury it back?"

Daiki shook his head. "After all the mess we did to dig it up? Are you serious?"

"Let's put something else in there. We'll open it again when we'll be in High School."

“But we don’t have anything with us that could fix in the box." Satsuki looked at her schoolbag but she knew she had nothing fitting the purpose. "I have no idea..."

Daiki thought about what he had with him but nothing was both small and important for them.

"This."

Tetsuya untied his necktie.

"The uniform?" Daiki was astonished. "Tetsu, you need that."

"I have a spare one."

"Okay. But why a necktie?"

"Because we are in the same school. We reunited." Tetsuya raised the necktie. "This is the proof of it."

Daiki scratched his neck. "I got it... but I haven't mine here."

He didn't hold back his disappointment. Would he have made in time running back home to take it?

"Here, Tetsu-kun!"

Satsuki had a black necktie in her hand but she hadn’t took off hers yet.

"Satsuki, why two?"

"Because I always have yours in case the teachers scold you for being sloppy."

"I'm not sloppy! Ugly Satsuki!"

"Stupid Dai-chan."

That quarrel sounded much funnier than the countless ones they had since Tetsuya had left. Daiki didn't sound irritated and Satsuki kept smiling.

She handed Tetsuya the neckties.

"Here."

Tetsuya had already placed his necktie. Satsuki put hers, as well folded as Tetsuya's, while Daiki just dropped it from on high.

"It's done."

They could recognize the part where they dug the box, the soil was a bit messy and there wasn't much grass. However they were sure in no time the hideout would have become invisible for a stranger’s eyes.

"Why don't we go and eat something?"

"What do you want to eat, Daiki-kun?"

"A popsicle."

"Dai-chan, you don't eat a popsicle if you are hungry."

"I didn't say I'm hungry."

"But you proposed to eat something."

"Yes, a popsicle."

Even if time passed and they didn't argue with the same animosity they had when they were children, Daiki and Satsuki didn't change at all.  
Tetsuya smiled.

"Well, Satsuki-kun is right.” He interrupted them with a serious consideration. “A popsicle is to be licked, not to be eaten."

Daiki and Satsuki turned towards him.

"...what's wrong?"

They gave each other a fast look before giving Tetsuya their backs.

"We should hurry or there'll be too many people in the combini."

"Satsuki is right. Tetsu move!"

Tetsuya hurried along with them.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

Daiki and Satsuki didn't know in that exact moment they had thought about the same thing which had made them blush.

 

 

__"So... what do we put in the box this time?"  
"I don't have a necktie in my uniform."  
_"Then Tetsu should put his underwear in."_  
_" Wha—"_  
_"Dai- chan!"_  
_"Come on Satsuki! I’m sure you thought the same!"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know if this story has a main reason but I liked to write it, even if the last chapter was quite difficult with the descriptions. If there are serious grammar mistakes feel free to tell me.

**Author's Note:**

> I don't like AoMomo or KuroMomo but AoKuroMomo is precious.


End file.
